Russian Bombing Forces Tuaregs to Retreat from Kidal, Mali

The Azawad Liberation Front (ALF) announced the forced withdrawal of its forces from the city of Kidal in northern Mali.

The group’s spokesperson, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, announced the withdrawal in an official statement.

The decision was made following massive airstrikes by the ruling military junta and mercenaries from Russia’s Africa Corps, which destroyed most of the civilian infrastructure.

The Tuareg command stated that leaving the settlement was a temporary measure aimed at preserving its personnel and logistics.

Kidal

The city of Kidal has been a key political and military center of the Tuareg movement since the start of the 2012 rebellion for Azawad’s independence, when rebels first drove the Malian army out of the city.

In 2013, as part of Operation Serval, French troops and a Chadian contingent entered the city, driving out radical groups and handing control to moderate Tuareg forces.

In May 2014, an attempt by the Malian army to storm Kidal ended in defeat, after which the city remained under the full control of the Tuareg alliance for years.

From 2015 to 2022, the status quo in the city remained largely unchanged: the UN’s MINUSMA mission was deployed there, while de facto control was exercised by local Tuareg forces.

In November 2023, Malian government forces, backed by Wagner Group mercenaries, managed to temporarily seize the city after a prolonged offensive.

The rebels later regained control of Kidal, launching active operations against government forces and defeating a Russian convoy near Tinzaouaten, which shifted the balance of forces in the war.

In July, Mali’s junta forces, together with the Africa Corps, regained control of the city of Anefis in the north of the country.

The city is located approximately 100 km from Kidal and holds significant strategic importance for controlling Mali’s northern regions.